English
‘WeareleavingintenminutesforDoverandCalais,’saidPhileasFogg.
‘Wearegoingroundtheworld.’
Itwas6.10intheeveningattheReformClub.PhileasFoggwasinthecardroom.Hewasatacardtablewiththesamefivemenasyesterdayandthedaybeforeandthedaybeforethat.
PhileasFoggandthefivemendidn’tusuallytalkwhentheyplayedcards.Butthisevening,beforethegamestarted,thementalkedaboutanewspaperstory.AthiefwalkedintotheBankofEnglandandtookfifty-fivethousandpounds.Thenhewalkedoutagain.Oneofthemenatthecardtable,Ralph,hadaverygoodjobattheBankofEngland.
‘They’llcatchtheman,’Ralphsaid.’Thebestdetectivesareateveryport.Theyknowthatthemanistall.Hewearsexpensiveclothes.They’11findhim.’
‘Oh,Idon’tknow,’saidStuart,anothermanatthetable.’Theworldisaverybigplace.’
‘Itwasabigplace,’saidPhileasFogg.
‘Whatdoyoumean–“was”?Isitsmallernow?’saidStuart.
‘Yes,’saidRalph.‘IthinkMr.Foggisright.Youcangoroundtheworldmorequicklynow.’
‘Allright,’saidStuart.‘Youcangoroundtheworldinaboutthreemonths,butthatdoesn’tmean..’
‘Notthreemonths,’saidPhileasFogg.‘Eightydays.’
‘Fogg’sright,’saidRalph.’TheRothaltoAllahabadrailway,inIndia,isopennow.Look—today’sTimeshasatimetableforajourneyroundtheworld.’Andheshowedthem,onthecentrepageofthepaper.
LondontoSuez—railwayandship7days
SueztoBombay—ship13”
BombaytoCalcutta—railway3”
CalcuttatoHongKong—ship13”
HongKongtoYokohama—ship6”
YokohamatoSanFrancisco—ship22”
SanFranciscotoNewYork—railway7”
NewYorktoLondon—shipandrailway9“
80days
‘Yes,’saidStuart,’eightydays.It’sallrightonpaper.Butalotofthingscanhappenineightydays.Theycanstopyouontheway.’
‘No,theycan’t,Mr.Stuart,’saidPhileasFogg.
‘Well,whydon’tyoutry,Mr.Fogg?’
‘Goroundtheworldineightydays?’saidPhileasFogg.‘Allright.IhavetwentythousandpoundsinBaring’sBank.I’llbetallofit.’
‘Twentythousandpounds!’criedRalph.‘Somethingwillhappenonthejourney,andyou’llloseallyourmoney.’‘Nothingwillstopme,’PhileasFoggsaid.Intheend,PhileasFogg’sfivefriendstookthebet.‘Eachpersonwillpayyoufourthousandpounds—that’stwentythousandpounds—whenweseeyouagainhereintheReformClubineightydaysattheendofyourjourneyroundtheworld,’saidRalph.’Oryouhavetopayustwentythousandpounds.That’sthebet.’
PhileasFoggthoughtforaminute.‘TodayisWednesday,2ndOctober.SoIhavetobebackhere,inthisroomintheReformClub,onSaturday,21stDecemberat8.45intheevening.’
At7.25,PhileasFoggsaidgoodnighttohisfriendsandlefttheReformClub.At7.50,heopenedthedoorofhishouseinSavileRowandwentin.
‘Mr.Fogg?Isthatyou?’saidPassepartout.Helookedatthetimetable.Thiswasnotonthetimetable.
‘WeareleavingintenminutesforDoverandCalais,’saidPhileasFogg.’Wearegoingroundtheworld.’
Passepartout’seyesopenedwide—verywide.Heopenedhisarmsthenjumpedononeleg.
‘Roundtheworld!’hesaid.
‘Ineightydays,’saidPhileasFogg.’Wehavetogonow.Now!’
‘Butyourbags?’
‘I’mnottakinganybags.Well,onesmallbag.Wecanbuythingsontheway.Bringdownmycoat.Wearstrongshoes.Move!’
At8o’clock,Passepartoutwasreadywithasmallbag.‘Aquietlife,’hethought.‘Whereismyquietlife?’
PhileasFoggwasready.Hehadabookunderhisarm—Bradshaw’s,arailwayandshiptimetable.HetookthebagfromPassepartoutandputalotofmoneyintoit.ThenhegavethebagtoPassepartout.
‘Lookafterit,’hesaid.’There’stwentythousandpoundsinit.’
Atthestation,PhileasFoggsawhisfivefriendsfromtheReformClub.
‘You’reheretosaygoodbye?That’skind,’hesaid.‘I’llhavestampsinmypassportforeachcountry.YoucanseethemwhenIcomeback.’
‘Wewon’tlookatyourpassport,’saidRalph.‘You’reanEnglishman.’
At8.40,PhileasFoggandPassepartouttooktheirplacesinthetrain,andat8.45thetrainstarted.
Somedayslater,thepoliceatScotlandYardhadaletterfromtheirdetective,DetectiveFix.
Suez,9thOctober
ToScotlandYard,London
Iamfollowingthebankthief,PhileasFogg.SendawarranttoBombaynow.
Fix(detective)
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